Jonathan Gold tries Cacao, kinda likes the food, and really likes their Hecho in Eagle Rock shirts. I wonder where they got the idea to steal that from Mexico from…
The LA Times interviews Steven and Jeremy Raub, owners of Eagle Rock Brewery, whose three brews are saturating the Northeast. I’ll finally be sampling the Revolution XPA tonight. I should have that review up by Easter.
Unfortunately she confuses us with Eagle Rock and moves us about 16 miles southeast. On her lifestyle blog, GOOP.com, the actress reports on the best places to dine in Los Angeles. Among the usual list of popular restaurants is the Tacos La Estrella on Colorado and Highland View with this added note:
A little off the map in Highland Park (it’s east of East LA) La Estrella offers some of the best al pastor tacos. Worth a little drive after the trip to the Griffith Park or a Dodger’s Game.
There’s so much wrong here that my sense of indignation is about to cause me to have a conniption. Is it possible that the editorial staff at GOOP, by which I of course mean Gwyneth, simply copied this erroneous entry in the LA Times’ Guide? In any event, maybe Mrs. Martin can afford a map with her proceeds from Iron Man 2. Therefore, on behalf of every neighborhood east of La Brea, I would like to formally invite Gwyneth and Apple to have a taco al pastor in Highland Park. I’ll even stop at Cinnamon to pick up some vegan tamales for Chris.
I’ve long been a fan of Dave’s Chillin-n-grillin’ and am always surprised when someone from the neighborhood hasn’t heard about it. Most likely that changed today when Dave was front and center on L.A. Times. I won’t paraphrase too much here, but the main point of the article was Dave’s “Pilgrim” sandwich, made fresh from Thanksgiving leftovers (turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and gravy) every Thursday in September through April.
Truthfully, such a sandwich sounds terrible right now. I’ve been on an all-turkey diet for the last 48 hours and feel like I’ve been sweating gravy for the last 12.
That said (hats off to LD for the turn of phrase), Dave makes some of the best sandwiches around, easily besting Auntie Em’s and maybe even our local Italian Deli (depending on what you order). I’ve gone up and down the menu and never been disappointed with anything. The French Dip is the one I keep coming back to, but it may not be for everyone. It’s not traditional in the sense the au jus is poured over it, making it “pre-dipped” if you will. But I love the horseradish mayo and the roast beef is always fresh. As Dave once told me, “I won’t eat crap, so I don’t sell crap.”
Also tops on the list is either the tuna melt or turkey melt. The white bread is delicious and perfectly crisp and the fresh tomato makes a great contrast to the hot sandwich and melted cheese. I only mention the Italian Deli because they still make the best Italian combo around (at least until Bay Cities opens an East-side location). Dave’s is a good effort and he even gave me a five minute lecture on the quality of the salami, but it still falls a little short.
Of course, that highlights the other great thing about Dave’s: It is by far the most aptly named establishment I’ve ever been to. Most times you walk in you’ll find Dave, just chillin’ and grillin’. He’ll chat you up about food, the Red Sox, or neighborhood, all while making a handful of sandwiches. The wait is usually a little longer than necessary, but the conversation is always entertaining and well worth it. Dave is a genuinely nice guy and will go the extra mile to make you happy, such as running to the grocery store to buy milk to make you a chocolate malt. Delicious.
